Rear-inflow evolution in a non-severe bow-echo observed by airborne Doppler radar during BAMEX

The Bow-Echo and Mesoscale Convective Vortex Experiment (BAMEX) is an effort to collect specialized observations, using highly mobile platforms, of bow-echo mesoscale convective systems in the midwest U.S. Analsis of one such event is presented to illustrate the complex precipitation and kinematic structure of a non-severe event. The 10 June event (IOP7) is examined using airborne Doppler radar data collected by the NOAA P-3 and the NCAR ELDORA radar, mounted on the NRL P-3. Winds analyses from many passes are examined over a 4-hour period. On several of the passes a "quad-Doppler" analysis is performed to merge the ELDORA and NOAA P-3 data in a common synthesis. Horizontal and vertical cross sections of line relative flow and radar reflectivity are shown for the six analysis times to show the evolution of the line structure, book-end vortices and rear inflow jet. Although the rear inflow jet was measured at over 40 m/s, no strong surface winds were observed during the period of data gathering. Dropsondes observations show a strong near-surface inversion that we speculate perhaps prevented downward penetration of the high momentum rear-inflow air to the surface.